Tips to Help Fight the Procrastination Bug

Lisa Franchi April 25, 2013

It is normal for people to procrastinate sometimes. But there are some who deliberately practise procrastination, avoiding difficult tasks and allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by distractions. Chronic procrastinators put off important tasks for the less important ones, which results to reduced productivity. If you’re having issues with too much procrastination, here are some tips for you:

Stick to your goal.

Procrastination attacks the moment we forget that we have goals to accomplish. If you want to fight procrastination, you need to remind yourself of your goals and the reasons why you need to work on them right now. Reasons become more motivating when they are positively framed. For instance, saying “I want to lose weight because I want to be healthy for my kids and family” is more inspiring and encouraging than saying “I want to lose weight because I absolutely hate my body”.

Assess the reason why you are procrastinating.

Often, it is our subconscious mind that triggers us to procrastinate. Therefore, it is critical to make an honest assessment of the thoughts and emotions that underlie procrastination. If you are driven by negative thoughts, your subconscious mind will do everything to help you out and make you feel more comfortable. It will divert your attention and trigger you to skip the task and do something more pleasurable like surfing the web or watching TV.

Effectively respond to negative thoughts.

It is part of the brain’s survival mechanism to drive us away from the things that pose potential threat to our health and well-being. But the brain could not tell whether a difficult task is going to benefit you in the future. It only knows one thing – what causes pain and discomfort isn’t good for you. So you have to learn how to control your mind and properly respond to negative thoughts and emotions. Go back to the first point – stick to your goals. When confronted with a difficult task, remind yourself that you need to do it because something’s good is bound to happen after. Look forward to the results, not on the difficulty of the task. This realisation will reduce your anxiety and worries. Hence, you become motivated to take on the challenge!

Simplify your tasks.

If you think about cleaning the whole house, from the attic down, chances are, you will already feel exhausted even before starting. Remember, you need to positively respond to the thoughts that make you anxious and hopeless. One way to do this is to break down a complex task to small, achievable tasks. Being able to accomplish each simple task leads to a higher sense of fulfilment and self-efficacy, which in turn fuels your mind and body to work harder.

Make a timeline of your activities.

Mind setting has a critical role in avoiding procrastination. You need to set a specific date of completion for every goal or task. Sometimes, this will be decided by other people (like your boss). Often, you will have to decide for it. It can be helpful to create a timeline of your activities for a week. For each task, jot down its details as well as the dates of completion. Each day, put a big mark on the tasks you have done so you can trace those that are behind schedule.

Time your work.

This is a very simple yet very effective strategy to beat procrastination. Download a timer from the internet (there are so many free online apps available today). Set a certain amount of time for each task you need to accomplish and don’t forget to turn on the timer. This will help you stay focused on a task once you’re on it and avoid doing other things.

Take a break and replenish your mind.

Practising mindfulness exercises will certainly help you eliminate the thoughts that make you feel stressed and anxious about your tasks. Attend a yoga class, or practise meditation and controlled breathing. Being aware of your emotions is the most important step in effectively dealing with them.

Take care of your brain.

Too much stress creates a strain on your brain, which you don’t want to happen. Mindfulness meditation has been clinically proven to enhance the frontal and prefrontal areas of the brain – the regions involved in the analysis of situations, decision-making and concentration. Practising meditation on a regular basis helps you determine the emotional and mental factors that trigger you to procrastinate.

See yourself in the pedestal of success.

Do you feel like quitting the gym after an exhausting and energy-draining workout? You probably think you can’t do it anymore. But before you finally do, try visualising the outcome of your hard work – a healthy, energetic you with a beautiful figure. See yourself progressing, overcoming each difficulty and confidently moving along the points of your timeline until you’ve finally achieved your goal. Allow yourself to feel whatever emotions each scenario is giving you – whether it’s pain, happiness, anxiety or excitement. Breathe deep. And then slowly let go of the negative feelings. Think of the positive qualities you need to achieve your goal – self belief, optimism, and perseverance.

Procrastination is the worst enemy of productivity. It discourages you from doing important tasks and accomplishing your goals. Fortunately, there are simple ways to fight procrastination and motivate your mind and body to stay focused on a task. With the practical tips mentioned above, you can easily beat procrastination, be able to do more and most importantly – achieve more.

Dear Readers,

What do you normally do whenever you feel like procrastinating in the middle of an urgent and difficult task?

Share more tips and insights by posting a comment below.